Trial and Error
by Military Mechanic
Summary: need oc's It starts when time freezes. The world stands still, but people keep moving, keep trudging through, keep trying to get past the bigotry that has left Earth at a standstill. When it begins to turn again, it seems as if it's going backwards. Fear breds in the hearts of everyone, and the Friends Of Humanity have started to use that to their advantage.
1. Begging for Characters

SUMMARY -

It starts when time freezes. The world stands still, but people keep moving, keep trudging through, keep trying to get past the bigotry that has left Earth at a standstill. When it begins to turn again, it seems as if it's going backwards. Fear breds in the hearts of everyone, and the Friends Of Humanity have started to use that to their advantage.

They form prisons, labs, segregation camps.

Mutants are hunted - and the X-Men don't know what to do, because Xavier has vanished. Logan takes off next, and the younger mutants are left to fend for themselves.

Then they find Alpha Prison, and the mutants held within. Then their world changes even more.

THE DEAL -

I've seen several stories like this going around lately, so I thought that I would give it a try too. Mainly because I like this idea but I'm completely stumped on mutant abilities. xD So, what you all need to do is send me in your mutant (one per person) by filling out the form below.

Then I'll write the story using the summary above.

I will be focusing equally on the OC's and the canon characters, though will not cross-pair. Each OC will be given their own chapter to delve deeper into their character, and I will take in a rough total of ten or so mutants.

So, please, help a fellow out and submit, submit, submit!

THE FORM -

Full Name: (first, middle, and last)

Nickname: (they don't all need to have one, but please enter one if they do. this counts as a mutant name as well)

Detailed Appearance: (build, hair, skin tone, eyes, etc)

Mutant Power: (in detail)

Past: (in paragraph format please)

Age: (nothing under ten, nothing over thirty)

Personality: (the more detailed you make it, the better I will be able to represent your character)


	2. Prolouge

A/N: Wow! Such a huge turnout! Thank you all for your help! Aside from the fact that this contains the prolouge for my story, I have several important matters to discuss. First, the mutants who have managed to land spots as 'mains' in the Alpha Prison.

1. MysteryAgain's Drew Leroy Pond

2. Kitkat1421's Mckenzie Nicole O'hara

3. Silverstarofquebec's Merrin Emily O'Reilly

4. XxxCloudyxxX's Sandra Lynda Campbell

5. TeslaJet's Nickolai Leonov

6. Ninaninagrrr's Marley Tilly Titan

7. A-Rog's Alexander Steven Roger

8. Sgt2x4's Richard Ray Jackson

9. Breekitty's Siarra Dylan Evans

10 - this spot is still open, as I am currently debating which personality would fit the spot the most.

So, to everyone up on that list, I hope that you keep a close eye on this story! The more input you give, the better I can portray your characters!

As for everyone else who has submitted a character, I will put them to use! Every character that is submitted will get a part in this story, even if they aren't mains. :D So, a big thanks to you too!

* * *

"He's gone, Logan." she says, tilting her head to the side slightly. Her dark brown eyes watch the other man carefully as he moves through the garage; tall and well muscled, looking for all the world like the nature bound man he is, dressed in leathers and with a single bag thrown over a shoulder.

The left one, she notes, because she always notices things like that.

Logan grunts, but doesn't look up from his task. He's sifting through keys that are spread out on the top of a workbench, trying to find the one that will start his motorcycle. He keeps telling the kids not to put it with the others, but they never listen. Half the time, he thinks that they do it on purpose.

"We can't find a trace of him anywhere. Jean has tried to use Cerebro to track him down but...There's no trace of him anywhere." she says, and pretends not to notice how his shoulders tense up at that.

She hadn't wanted to ask the young psychic, barely even eighteen, to put on Cerebro. She was no where near ready for all that sheer concentrated will being forced down upon her. But it was needed.

Charles has been missing for almost a week now, after all. No signs of him anywhere. As though he just _vanished_ off the face of the earth. The older mutants wheelchair had been found by his bed, which was made up like it hadn't even been slept in the night before.

Thinking of it now, he probably hadn't. She tried not to think. Just watched as Logan, who everyone _needed_ but who _couldn't_ stay, got ready to leave.

Snatching up the correct keys, Logan wastes no time in crossing the room and pulling the tarp off of his Harley. Made sure that his shoulder bag was securely closed, then swung a leg over and got himself settled. With one hand, he tilted the brim of his hat down into his eyes. The other hand pushed the key into the engine - but didn't turn it, not just yet.

Instead he offered the woman behind him, with the elegant stance and the mane of white hair, who was little more than a friend to him though she felt much stronger, so much stronger, and pulled her a grim face. "You be careful, 'Ro. An' you get ahold of me if you here from him."

"Of course." said Ororo. Then she stood by and watched as the man she loved pulled out - only this time? This time, he most likely wasn't going to be coming back.

-x-x-x-x-

Charles Xavier was a great man. He was a leader, as well as the starter of a new Era. One in which he hoped that mutants could live free among the regular humans, unprosocuted and unnoticed.

It's an Era that he never got to see. Perhaps that was why his students were so upset when he vanished? Or maybe their sorrow sprung forth from fear? Fear that, without him, they were wholly and completely unprotected from a world that hated them, just for haveing been born.

In a time when mutants were being persecuted simply for _being_, the X-Men and those under their protection suddenly found themselves completely and utterly alone. They saw only the uniform wearing men that patrolled the streets at night, the bruises on the faces of those outed already, the news reports of "another mutant dead" that seemed to come up on a nightly basis.

They didn't see the other mutants just yet. The ones that were right there, in their own town, only four streets away from where they lived

-x-x-x-x-

"I miss the Professor." said Kitty, voicing her thoughts to the empty room. She sunk lower into the bath, letting the warm waters rise up to her chin. Wrapped thin, pale arms around her knees and pulled them close to her chest, then closed her eyes and gave a heavy sigh.

He'd been gone for over three weeks now, and everything had changed. The entire mansion had gotten stiffer, almost, like now they were all just waiting for something to break. And in a way, Kitty knew that they were.

The new, overtly strict curfew that had every student no matter their age scrambling to get back inside of the iron gates before the clock hit seven. Knowing that both Ororo and Hank, the only remaining adults at the Institute, would stand just inside of the gates until every last student made it back safely.

That was because Charles had vanished.

The no-powers policy was because he was gone too, she knew. Just like the sudden terse looks that everyone exchanged, and the huddles of students whispering to each other, trying not to be over-heard; but by who? The teachers, the other students, or the humans that tried so hard to get them shut down?

Kitty herself had taken to just staying in her room more often then not. She was on strict orders not to wander through town. Just to school, and then back home. And she couldn't get ahold of the Brotherhood house over the phone, either. The line was disconnected - and that upset her almost worse then the dissapearance of her beloved professor, because it meant that she couldn't find out what was going on with Lance or the rest of the Brotherhood boys.

The very thought of the other group of mutants brought hot tears to her eyes, and Kitty tried to keep them at bay by sinking further into the water, letting the hot liqued rise up past her mouth and to the base of her nose.

Lance hadn't been to school in almost five days, now.

Kitty was far past the point of being worried about him.

-x-x-x-x-

The van was large and dark, with sheen over its black paint and tinted windows. Top of the line SUV, the model having been made just that year and alreayd upgraded for the work it would need. It was unadorned save for a simple, white logo on its left side.

"F.O.H", written in bold letters and a stark white. The only warning to anyone as to who it belonged too or why it was prowling along the streets at a crawl.

At the moment, it had only one passenger. A man with sharp features and short blond hair, light blue eyes scanning the back street that he was driving along. His name was Thomas Haynes, and he'd been a loyal member of the Friends Of Humanity for twenty three years, now. His clothing reflected that, in its sharp edges and pristine white cloth, and so did his demeanor.

Thomas had no pity for mutants, no matter their gender or age. That was why he was being sent out now, out of the town and out of the state, to a supposed mutant attack almost fifteen hours away.

He would not be alone on the return trip.


	3. In A Cage

A/N: Hello, everyone! This marks the first chapter where I use a submitted character, and I truly hope that I'm doing him justice. Input is like gold to me, so anything that you can think of is great! Even the smallest nugget will make my day. :D

To all those still submitting OC's, go right ahead and send them in. I will accept them up until the next chapter is published, at which point we will be too far into the story for me to plan out new characters and how they can fit in. They may not be mains, but I will have at least one scene for every character submitted. :D

* * *

"If he isnt' back soon, you can go find him." said Lance, light brown eyes following the white blurr that was Pietro, as the speedstar moved from one spot of the house to the next. "But not yet."

Abruptly, the blur stopped and he was privy to the unusual image of an upset looking Pietro. His white hair was slightly unkempt, and the dark green sweater that he had on was wrinkled. Already pale skin had turned to porcelain, and there were smudges beginning to appear beneath his sharp blue eyes.

"He's-been-gone-for-three-days, Lance! Three days!" snapped Pietro, throwing his hands up in the air as he did.

Lance pursed his lips together - because, really, he was just as worried about the youngest member of the Brotherhood. More so, if only because the guilt that he'd asked Todd to make an extra trip out was there, practically drowning him.

"I said no, Pietro." he told the other man, and this time he stood up from the rickity kitchen chair that he'd been sitting in. Lance shoved his left hand into his pocket, the other hand hanging limply by his side.

"But-Lance!" whined the white-haired man, and Lance just shook his head again, ending any and all arguements, because there were none. When Lance made a final decision, the Brotherhood listened to him and that was that.

Even if Todd had been missing for three days, when he was only supposed to be gone for a few hours.

Even if there was nothing that Pietro would rather do than just _run_ and find him, because _they_ were out there and dangerous and - his thoughts were interrupted by Lance moving towards the boarded up window of their small kitchen, placing his right hand against the wood there.

"A truck went by earlier. It was empty." he explained, then he glanced back at Pietro. "Give Todd two hours. Then you can go find him, and we'll both kick his ass for making us worry, alright?"

Silence, then Pietro gave a sharp nod. "Fine. Two-hours-and-that's-it."

-x-x-x-x-

For being September, it was almost unbearably hot out. The sun beat down against Richard's neck, burning the sensitive skin there and tinting him with a pale shade of red. His pale skin was quick to burn in the heat, something that he had always been loathe of. It certainly wasn't serving him any purpose here, on the side of who-knew-what road, heading to who-knew-where.

All that he really knew was that he had to keep going foreward, because even thinking about going back home was painful. How could he, after all? People had seen what had happened, even if he didn't remember it. People _knew_ and so did he, which was just as bad.

The sheer thought of being a mutant sent a tight coil of panic through into his stomach. It made him come to a halt just on the side of the road, hands curling into tight fists and eyes clenching shut. Richard could hear them all now, in his head; shouting as though they were standing right there next to him.

_Mutant._

_Freak._

_Abomination._

_Godless_.

His voice was right there with them, mingling in with the rest of his families. Even his sister, Janice, whose sweet voice rang out in his mind as clear as a bell. Stating that mutants were impure, were sins and devils and not right at all.

It was hard to stop the sob from bubbling up from his throat, but somehow Richard managed. Just like he managed to blink back the hot tears that were stinging at his eyes, lifting his head at the sound of a van barreling down the highway. It was sleek and black, with a small front and a large back. Nothing else the he could see. Not even a sticker or a tag and why was it slowing down?

Richard scrambled away from the edge of the road, his sneakers crunching the dry grass beneath his feet. It was brittle from the noon-day sun and gave way beneath his feet with a snap. The van came to a stop right in front of him. It's windows were tinted, and Richard couldn't see anything until the drivers side window was rolled down, all the way like whoever was in there was beyond confident that he posed no danger.

It was a blond man sitting inside, with sharp features and light blue eyes. He had on a white jacket, and for a moment Richard thought that he should know who this man was. Thought he should, but didn't.

"Hey there, kid." drawled the man, leaning partially out the window. "Need a lift?"

Everything about this man screamed "danger" and Richard wasn't one to ignore his instincts. They had save him more than once, back in Mount Vernon, when he was still in school and trying to avoid the rampaging bullies. So, despite the fact that his skin felt like acid and his legs were trembling, he gave a sharp shake of his head.

"No, no thanks. I'm just - I'm meeting up with a friend." said Richard, and the lie was heavy on his tongue. He had no friends. Not anymore.

The blond just kept staring at him. Inside of the car, something was giving off a faint beep. Light blue eyes flashed to the device in his left hand, then back to Richard - and then Thomas had flung his tracker down onto the passenger seat and threw open his door, one hand snapping out to latch onto Richard's shirt. The boy quailed away, hands coming up as he tried to struggle free. One caught Thomas in the chest, and when Richard pushed so did he.

They both hit the ground, but Thomas was the first one up. Unlike Richard, he wasn't tired and sore and so full of self-hate that he was drowning. No, his anger was fueling him, and he scrambled over to where Richard was still trying to haul himself to his feet. Thomas brought a fist down against the teens face, then did it a second time and a third.

For a moment, Richard struggled. Then blood was pouring down his face and into his eyes and nose and mouth, and he couldn't breath through it all which meant that he couldn't scream or protest. Cartilage bent beneath the blond's fists, and he suddenly remembered what that white uniform meant. Couldn't believe he didn't recognize it sooner.

Friends of Humanity had found him.

Fear turned his blood cold, and Richard tried to squirm out from beneath the larger man. A harsh punch to the gut quelled that idea, as his body tried to curl in on itself without his command. Long, pale fingers tangled into his dusty brown hair, and suddenly he was being yanked partially to his feet and drug off of the side of the road.

"Let go of me! Let go!" screamed Richard, hands flying up to grasp the wrist above his head. His scalp burnt, and he could feel the gravel dig into his skin through his jeans when he was drug out onto the road.

With his eyes shut in pain and fear, Richard heard more than saw the door to the van's trunk open. The scarlet rivulets running down his face all but blinded him - but he could _feel_ himself be hefted to both feet, here the clink of something metal, and then he was being shoved foreward and crammed into something small and metal and cold. There was another click, and then Thomas let out a laugh and slammed the backdoor shut, sending Richard into a world of darkness.

"Wait! Let me out!" he screamed, and he tried to move, to uncurl himself from the rumpled heap that he'd been thrown into, only to find out that he couldn't. Cold, metal wire criss-crossed around him on all sides, forming a cage that he'd been locked into and couldn't escape from.

Locking him up, just like one would to a dog.

To a monster.

To the devil.

Through the fear and the pain, Richard couldn't help but think that was oddly suiting.


End file.
